forever and a day
by DevotedSoul
Summary: They are two different situations but Duffy understands the pain of becoming a widow. She also understands the pain of raising a child who'll never know their father. -Duffy/Robyn friendship. Slight Chuffy.


_extended scene to series 32, episode 30._

 _also posted under wattpad under the name of ineffabledollx & tumblr under ineffabledoll_

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Its been seven hours since Glen passed away with Robyn and Charlotte by his side. Seven hours since Robyn became a widow.

She's gone home. Back to Charlie and Duffy's, on autopilot. It's almost like it hasn't sunk in. That Glen was dead and never coming home. She sits on the back step in the garden, a sleeping Charlotte in her lap and just stares into space.

Duffy sighs as she watches from the kitchen window, trying to make sense of the world and why it was so cruel. Her thoughts are interrupted by her husband, who touches her arm gently.

"Are you okay?"

She swallows the lump in the back of her throat, the lump that desperately wants to make her cry and nods. However Charlie knows when she's really ok and when she's pretending, doesn't say anything else and wraps his arms tightly around his wife.

Wrapping her arms tightly around Charlie, Duffy inhales the familiar scent of his aftershave and is immediately comforted. She kisses his jaw as she rests her head in the crook of his neck.

"They were so happy Charlie."

She whispers and feels a tear roll down her cheek. She closes her eyes tightly, praying another batch of tears wouldn't begin to fall. She can't cry. Maybe later but right now, she had to be strong for Robyn. Robyn was the daughter she never had.

Charlie feels the tear on his skin and sighs sadly, gently rubbing her back. He knows she's trying to be strong. That was Duffy all over, always putting herself last.

"If you need to cry, cry." He whispers to her and makes no effort to move her from his arms. He feels more tears on his skin as she begins to cry quietly against him, all the emotions of the last few hours spilling over the surface.

He wonders if it's bringing back memories of Andrew's death. Understandably, they were two different scenarios but they both resulted in two women losing their husbands when they least expected them too. He feels her body begin to shake through the sobs and sighs sadly, wishing there was something he could do to take away the pain. There isn't of course, he feels the pain too. A feeling he hadn't felt for a long time.

Eventually Duffy lifts her head up from the crook of his neck when she's finished crying. He meets her gaze and gently strokes away the tears that have left their trace on her cheeks. She presses her lips tenderly to his before whispering,

"I love you so much."

"I love you too."

She brushes the tears with the back of her hands and gestures towards the kettle, asking him if he wants a coffee. He declines and she makes two anyway. One for her and one for Robyn, she's put an added sugar in Robyn's. As she picks up both mugs, she glances towards Charlie and says gently;

"I better go and see how she is."

Charlie nods and watches from the window as his wife heads towards Robyn whose made no effort to move from the bottom of the garden. Duffy approaches gently, careful not to startle her, especially not when Charlotte's sleeping.

"I brought you a coffee."

Robyn looks up, her eyes catching Duffy's for a second before she takes the mug and quietly thanks her. Duffy smiles sadly and sits down beside her, a comfortable silence between the two. A few minutes later Robyn glances over at her and rests her head against Duffy's shoulder which causes Duffy to smile sadly and lightly rests her head against hers.

"What are you thinking?" Duffy asks.

Robyn shrugs. What was she thinking? How she'd became a bride and a widow within the same day? How was she ever going to explain to Charlotte about her father? Why couldn't they have been given more time? Why did it have to be today?

"I.." She sighed, "everything."

Duffy nods slowly and sips at the coffee.

"I know this doesn't help now but it does get easier."

Robyn bites her lower lip and looks down at Charlotte. Her beautiful little girl who'll never know or remember her father. That hurts more than the fact she is a widow. That their own child will never have her father in her life. She swallows hard, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks;

"Charlotte... Charlotte will never know him."

She nods. She knows that all too well. Having a child whose father had died before they could collect memories. That lump from earlier has grown in her throat again.

"I know."

"No you don't." Robyn answered back and Duffy nodded sadly, "Believe me, I know."

Robyn moves her head which causes Duffy to move hers. Their eyes met and for a minute Robyn understands the pain behind her eyes. That's when she notices Duffy's been crying and her heart sinks. Duffy was/is always so strong.

"You know what it's like?"

A tear rolls down Duffy's cheek and she wipes it away and answers, "it's no secret I've been around the wedding block a few times, as Louise so elegantly put it. My first husband Andrew, he—"

She closes her eyes, "I was six months pregnant when he died. Trust me when I say I know how you feel. How the pain of knowing you're raising a child who'll never know their father probably hurts more than the pain of becoming a widow."

"How did you manage?"

She wonders if the tears will ever stop as she wipes away another tear from her cheek. "I talked about him every day. Even when I found happiness again."

"Does it get easier?"

She smiles sadly and nods, "the pain will always be there but you learn to live with it. No matter what happens in the future, who you meet, who you may potentially marry; you'll never forget the love you felt for them."

"Do you still think of him?"

Duffy glances towards the house where Charlie's stood by the back door and smiles slightly, before turning her attention back to Robyn.

"His anniversary mostly and whenever Paul tells me he's passed his exams." She admits truthfully. Robyn only nods. That makes things _/slightly/_ easier to know in the future things become easier. Charlie approaches both women at the bottom of the garden and sits down on the other side of Robyn. He catches Duffy's gaze and smiles sadly knowing what she's probably spoken to Robyn around. Robyn looks down at Charlotte and kisses the top of her head.

Charlie places his hand on Robyn's shoulder comfortingly and says gently; "you're not on your own Robyn. You or Charlotte. Duffy and I we'll support you as much as possible."

With a small smile, Robyn whispers; "thank you."

Charlie reaches behind Robyn's back to offer Duffy his hand which she accepts and squeezes gently. Robyn kisses the top of Charlotte's head again, the little girl unaware of her father's passing.

"We'll be okay darling, daddy's watching over us."

There isn't anything exchanged between the three of them for a while before Charlie and Duffy stand up. They both offer a hand to Robyn and she smiles sadly before standing up. Following them into the house, Robyn realises that while she has Charlie and Duffy in her life, she'll never be alone. They'll never be alone.

"We love you." She says quietly.

Charlie and Duffy glance between them before looking back at Robyn and Charlotte.

"We love you too."

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 **a/n** : reviews are always appreciated. X


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